Most people have heard of the infamous freshman 15. When students attend their first year of college they experience many changes in their daily lives, especially with stress and eating habits. Teenagers are used to their parents doing most things for them while they live at home. Coming home to nice home cooked meals every night and having active routines makes maintaining weight much easier. When students move to college, their routine definitely changes. Eating habits worsen from having access to food all the time. In the dining halls, it is easy to just grab a slice of pizza or chicken fingers and call it a day. College students have a lot of extra time on their hands, and out of boredom, eating always seems like a great idea. Whether you are snacking while studying, having a late night snack, or “eating your feelings,” there are consequences for all these.
Obviously food is the main reason for gaining the freshmen fifteen, but other factors definitely play a role as well. Starting college is an extremely stressful time. You are on your own for the first time, you’re overwhelmed with school work, and homesickness is tougher than you imagined. Stress definitely causes people to overeat and indulge in unhealthy choices (Is The Freshman 15 Due Entirely To Stress?). Many students choose to drink in college, and alcoholic beverages tend to have more calories. Many students find themselves focusing on their school work or partying more so than exercising, as well. With how much college students eat, you have to burn those calories off somehow, and just walking to class isn’t going to do the trick (Beating The Freshmen 15).
There are ways to “beat the freshmen fifteen.” Finding a good balance of eating healthy, exercising often, and getting enough sleep can make such a difference. If you start to realize you are gaining weight, don’t panic. Cut out those late night snacks, choose a healthier option in the dining halls, and do an extra 15 minutes of exercise every day and that could make all the difference. Do not take the easy way out by skipping meals and dieting because that will not help you in the larger scheme of things. College is a huge adjustment for students, but there is a right way to do it (Beating The Freshmen 15)
Sources:
“Beating the Freshman 15.” KidsHealth – the Web’s Most Visited Site about Children’s Health. Ed. Larissa Hirsch. The Nemours Foundation, 01 Jan. 2014. Web. 8 Sept. 2014.
“Is The Freshman 15 Due Entirely To Stress?” About. N.p., n.d. Web. 8 Sept. 2014.
“The Freshman 15: Will Your College Student Gain More From College Than You Expected?” College Parents of America. N.p., n.d. Web. 8 Sept. 2014.
I love this post! Its so easy to just grab the unhealthy food, especially because it tastes good. Being Penn State students, we also have the Creamery taunting us everywhere we go. However, we have the amazing gyms here that are all within walking distance. If you boost your metabolism and burn calories in the gym, then easting becomes so much easier because you don’t necessarily have to feel bad about yourself if you grab a slice of pizza for dinner.
The freshman fifteen is a really scary thing to me, but I think it is also preventable. When someone is trying to lose, it sometimes very hard to because most of the healthy things you want to eat can be very expensive. In college, there are so many buffets, and etc, but within these things, there are salad bars, and fruit everywhere. To me it is truly just another challenge for the student. It is up to them to say no. Since there are so many healthy choices around here, it is actually very easy for me to stay on track and being healthy, because the healthy choices are always right in front of me. After seeing all of the healthy choices I have around me, I am not as temped to eat the other things. This how I get through trying to not get the freshman 15, but I do understand that is a very challenging thing, and I think this was a good blog post.
I am happy that you wrote about this topic because the Freshman 15 is a serious issue that is currently present in every university and even at Penn State. I realized that I have been slowly falling into this trap since I got here and it is making me nervous. I’ve gotten less sleep, started eating many snacks, gotten less exercise, and been stressing a ton over school which has been hurting me. I obviously did not gain a ton of weight yet since it has only been two weeks, but if I keep this up I will not be happy at the end of the year. After looking up techniques to resist the Freshman 15, I have found that it is best to eat healthy, stop eating when your mildly full, exercise, stop comparing your body to others, and to just be careful with what you eat. An alternative that I am using is to sign up for a bunch of sports clubs and the gym to stay in shape.
For more information about the Freshman 15, check out this awesome link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gnUZ4XNeoJ8
This is a great topic to blog about because it’s relevant to basically everyone. I found when I was a freshman that dining halls caused a lot of problems with eating because they do not provide for balanced meals. When you get something from the dining hall it’s usually just one item, and there aren’t a lot of sides to choose from. Going to the Redifer buffet was my way to combat that challenge. The buffet offers a lot of different options everyday and helps someone get the variety and nutrients that they need. This article explains the importance of a balanced diet.
Great topic! As you exlained, food is a staple for boredom. Lately all i have been doing is sleeping and eating. I had no idea why I have been so tired lately until I thought of the changes I have made since arriving at Penn State. At home I ate three veggies per day and made sure I was in the gym six days per week. I had energy and was full of life and color, but now, all i think about is my bed. I have realized that junk takes a major toll on your body. Ice cream cannot fuel me enough to make it around this massive campus. It is time for a change.
The freshman 15 was one of my biggest fears coming into college. How was I going to maintain my figure? Would I go to the gym as often as I did at home? Will I have time to eat healthy? These were all questions in my head before coming to college, but what I didn’t know is college makes it easy to choose healthy options instead of just grabbing a slice of pizza. It is a scary thought to not have a fixed schedule every day but if you plan your time accordingly, there is plenty of time to choose the right foods for you! This is a great blog post because every freshman can relate!